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Grappling with the truth behind the great Labor lie

Mark Latham

Labor current upper house preselection system gave the party factional warlords like Eddie Obeid. Photo: Dean Sewell

It’s the great Labor lie. A dazzling piece of sophistry designed to deflect from the true purpose of party reform.

It was reproduced in these pages on Monday when NSW Labor Secretary Jamie Clements argued against Senator John Faulkner’s proposals for democratising the selection of upper house candidates.

Clements insisted that ''more than 350,000 affiliated union members in NSW need to have some say in the selection of our candidates – we don’t want a white-collar-only upper house''.

He was supporting the present system of Labor preselection, the model that gave us Eddie Obeid, Tony Kelly and Ian Macdonald. It operates as a factional oligarchy, whereby right- and left-wing union secretaries control voting blocs at the State Party Conference, giving them the numbers to select upper house candidates (for the NSW Legislative Council and Federal Senate).

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In practice, the ''350,000 affiliated union members in NSW'' have no say in this process. A few of them go to State Conference as union delegates, but once there, they vote as a bloc under the instruction of union secretaries. Anyone displaying signs of independence is automatically black-balled from future conferences.

These highly-disciplined union numbers are the backbone of the party’s factional system. They put Mr Clements in his position and keep him there, as long as he doesn’t challenge the authority of the union secretaries. Clements has argued for the status quo not because it’s the best system for Labor, but because it’s the best system for union-sponsored powerbrokers like him.

The case for change is self-evident: during the term of the last state Labor government, the party’s union/factional hierarchy preselected and protected a group of corrupt Legislative Council members. It didn’t generate a blue- or white-collar upper house, it created striped-collar Labor representation – as in the collars worn by criminals.

How did this happen? By its nature, tight factional control gives powerbrokers the feeling they can get away with anything inside the party. Once in government, it’s only a small extra step to carry this ethos of invincibility into ministerial decision-making.

Having run the NSW Right, Obeid thought he could run the NSW government for private financial gain. In this project, he co-opted the assistance of the long-time secretary of the NSW Left, Macdonald – an example of cross-factional corruption.

Instead of arguing for the status quo, Clements and the union secretaries should be apologising for it. They should be repentant about the self-serving excesses of the factional model and acknowledge the need for democratisation.

The underlying weakness in their position is this: the only people in NSW who would think the existing system works well are Clements and the union secretaries. While they have the numbers to prevail in the short term, they lack the legitimacy and strength of argument to prop up their position indefinitely.

Yes, they have the power to hand-pick more Obeids and Macdonalds for the upper house, more union officials, more dopey apparatchiks, more yes-men and women, but that doesn’t make it right. Change will come eventually and when it does, history will pass harsh judgement on Clements and his fellow factional warlords.

Faulkner’s reform plan, to be put to State Conference this weekend, is to allow ALP branch members to select the party’s upper house tickets. Having given rank-and-file members a say in the selection of Labor’s federal and state leaders, why shouldn’t they be empowered to preselect upper house candidates? Why doesn’t Clements trust the True Believers who staff the polling booths, who keep their local branches alive, who fight so passionately for the cause of Labor?

Far from restricting rank-and-file union involvement, democratisation encourages it. It says to union members: don’t allow union secretaries doubling up as factional bosses to make all the big decisions. Join your local ALP branch and have a direct say in how the party is run: in picking federal and state leaders, in selecting Labor’s lower and upper house candidates.

This is what Faulkner is trying to achieve: Labor as a membership-based party, rather than a narrow factional-based clique.

Mark Latham is a former leader of the federal Australian Labor Party.

53 comments

I normally laugh and scoff when Mark Latham opens his mouth but he's 100% spot on here.

Commenter

Mark C

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 1:43AM

Great article that clearly explains the self-serving motivations of NSW Labor. Mark Latham is one of the best political commentators in this country.

Commenter

Flanders

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 5:48AM

Totally agree. And while we are giving the true believers to power to elect Labor upper house candidates remove the nonsense that Labor candidates need to be members of a union as that eliminates over 70%of potential nominees.You do not have to be a union member to be a champion of lLabor principles

Commenter

Bernie

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 5:59AM

Hear! Hear! Clearly written and a compelling argument.

Commenter

luke r

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 8:26AM

Careful Mark, Fairfax might not let you write for them again if you keep saying stuff like that.

Commenter

J Walker

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 10:40AM

Couldn't agree more, the sooner the better.

Commenter

mb

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 10:44AM

Well said Mark Latham.The union movement often seems to be undemocratic and run by a club of self interested officials.Labor must change or die

Commenter

vincent

Location

Elwood

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 10:49AM

Thank you ML.This opinion piece impresses as pretty much on the money - and worthy of consideration.

Commenter

Howe Synnott

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 11:07AM

Latham would have been a better PM than HOward. It's a shame he didn't win the 03 election.

Of course the ALP has to reform, it will benefit the party but most importantly of all, it will benefit the Labour Movement in general. Next step is for the ACTU to disafiliate from the ALP. The ALP should not have a monopoly on organised labour.

Commenter

CB

Location

Glenorie

Date and time

July 24, 2014, 11:08AM

J Walker, better that than the likes of Henderson scuttling off to Limited News so they can have exclusive positive feedback from the bogans. The worst is that it's never enough for you. Here you have a Labor person having a go at the Labor culture and you're still not happy. Trust the cons to never give credit where it's due.